Who Cooked the Last Supper? The Women's History of the World

Miles, Rosalind. Who Cooked the Last Supper? The Women's History of the World. 2001. 352p. ISBN 9780609806951.

When you look at the history of the world, you would be forgiven to think that men make up the overwhelming majority of the population. After all, most of the names mentioned in history books are males, and those of women are generally just a passing thought. Yet, women have always been there as well as men, and they have influenced the course of history just as men did. Women shaped the world we now live in, even though men have successfully manage to erase the powerful roles that women played in the development of human societies.

Drawn from archeological and ethnographic records, Who Cooked the Last Supper explains how women were relegated from their position of power and authority through a concerted series of actions conducted by males over the centuries. It recounts the struggles that women have engaged in to restore their basic rights as human beings and to be able to make all of the decisions concerning their own lives. Women are not second class citizens, even though our society has given them that role. 

Part political treatise, part feminist manifesto, and part realignment of historical realities, Who Cooked the Last Supper will generate many questions for the readers, and lead to a better understanding o f the challenges women face, as well as steps that can be taken to overcome them or, as men, to help take apart the structures that have been imposed on them.

Ball Don't Lie

de la Peña, Matt. Ball Don't Lie. 2005. 280p. ISBN 9780385734257. Available as an audiobook from Overdrive.

Sticky has been in and out of foster care following the death of his mother. Some families find him distant, others find him difficult, so he ends up bouncing around like a basketball. Lacking stability in his life, basketball is his only love. Sticky can play a mean game of basketball, and could probably earn a scholarship to college. Sticky finds refuge at the Lincoln Recreation Center, a busy sports complex. There, Sticky can let go and do magic with the ball.  And the Rec Center provides him with the family he craves for.

But playing at the Rec can be tough. Most of the guys are African-American, and they are good. Sticky has to compete with them, but he also has to compete with himself. His obsessive compulsive disorder means that he's got to follow the same ritual, and perform the same actions multiple times. Sticky is not mental, he's just got issues, but if he can work through them he might be able to reach the top of the basketball world and move away from the name Sticky to his real name, Travis Reichard.

Told in alternating chapters with his life as a child and meeting his girlfriend, Sticky's story vividly describes basketball sequences, without overdoing it. The characters are realistically portrayed, and share relatable stories. Fans of sports literature will be cheering on Sticky as he finds his way through life.

Our Warming Planet

Puay, Lim Cheng. Our Warming Planet. Part of the Green Alert! series. 2004. 48p. ISBN 978-0-7398-7014-9. Available at 363.738 LIM on the library shelves.

Climate change has increased the average temperature around the world by more than 1º Celsius, and the raise continues unabated. Though meetings and world summits have taken place, the target of limiting the rise of global warming to 1.5º or less by 2050 appears doomed to fail. This short book explores the causes of global warming, and discusses how global temperatures are measured around the world. The carbon cycle contributes to the release of greenhouse gasses, with natural sources and human-made pollution combining to increasing the amount of carbon dioxide, methane, and ozone in the atmosphere, leading to more heat being retained. The effects of global warming on plants, animals, and the environment are explored, along with how they are affecting humans. Finally, steps that we can all take to help are presented.

The Witcher, Vol. 2: Fox Children

 Tobin, Paul and Joe Querio. The Witcher, Vol. 2: Fox Children. 2014. 136p.  ISBN 9781616557935.

Looking for transport to Novigrad, Geralt the Witcher and his dwarven friend Addario book passage on a ship heading for that city. The passengers, led by Mr. Fysh, happen to be on a secret mission. At first glance it appears they have been hired to retrieve a child that has been kidnapped by a vulpess, a fox imbued with intelligence, the ability to transform into a human, and the cunning skills of a master illusionist. Unfortunately for the group, they were unable to find the child, so instead they captured another vulpess child and are bringing that creature back to Novigrad to collect the reward. Geralt knows this is a really bad idea, but since the ship is already underway, it is too late for him and Addario to get off.

As they sail down the river, the crew soon becomes aware that the mother vulpess is trailing them. Soon the ship and its crew finds itself hopelessly lost in the swamp, and dangerous illusions begin to play havoc on the dim-witted crew members. Sometimes, however, the real monsters are not the creatures out there in the swamp, but those on the ship ... 

Because You'll Never Meet Me

Thomas, Leah. Because You'll Never Meet Me. 2015. 344p. ISBN 978-1-61963-590-6. Available as an ebook from Overdrive and at FIC THO on the library shelves.

Ollie barely survived his birth. Plagued with a deadly allergy to electricity, Ollie now lives in a cabin in the woods of the Upper Peninsula in Michigan with his mother, away from the comforts of civilization. The only other person who visits is Auburn-Stach, his doctor. It is a solitary life, but Ollie makes the most of it by reading books and enjoying strange hobbies. When, at twelve, a girl shows up on the porch to play, Ollie is flabbergasted. Soon he and Liz become friends, meeting every Wednesday on the long driveway leading to his cabin. Liz spends time with her uncle, who owns a junkyard next door, but still quite a distance through the woods.

Moritz is blind. He was born without eyes, and has gaping holes where eyeballs should be. Moritz has developed echolocation skills, and is able to "see" everything around him, including hearing heartbeats and the shifting of hair. Weak of heart, Moritz has a pacemaker that regulates his heartbeats after he died once. After leaving the lab that was built around him to study him, he ends up in a German high school with other students who are not expected to go anywhere in life.

These two are connected together by Auburn-Stach, who puts them in touch like the penpals of old. Through an exchange of correspondence, they both get to learn about the other and learn from each other. Ollie wants to explore the world, but also wants to learn more about his father, a secret his mother holds tightly. Moritz does not want the pity that he receives from people, and he wants to discover why his mother abandoned him. The two of them are deeply hurt and have large chips on their shoulders, and they hurt those who love them. But through it all, they continue their letter exchange, and eventually discover truths that change their lives forever ...

Told from each of the teen's perspectives, Ollie and Moritz offer an exploration of teen angst, love, desires, and hopes not often present in realistic fiction. Fans of coming of age stories will appreciate this dark but hopeful tale and will cheer for Ollie and Moritz as they attempt to escape the bonds that are holding them to the past.

Peril

Woodward, Bob and Robert Costa. Peril. 2021. 512p. ISBN 9781982182915.

The end of the Trump presidency was one of those consequential times in American history. After losing a historic election in 2020, President Trump stuck to discredited claims that the election has been fraudulent and that massive vote rigging had occurred. Despite winning more than 74 million votes, Trump's tally was eclipsed by that of Biden, who received more than 81 million votes. As Trump advisors and lawyers continued to unsuccessfully search for voter fraud, president-elect Biden prepared a transition of power that would be anything but smooth. 

Then January 6, 2021 happened. Stoked by claims that the election was stolen, thousands of people who were protesting in Washington, D.C., marched on the Capitol following Trump's instructions to do so. They broke into the building, assaulting police officers and causing damage to the building. Angry that their candidate has supposedly been cheated, protesters sought to reverse the American people's electoral decision through intimidation and violence. Following the deployment of the National Guard, Vice-President Mike Pence certified the election results, assuring that Joe Biden would become the 46th President.

Recounting two years in American history, Peril explores the ups and downs of an electoral campaign like no other and a chaotic presidential transition that made many people wonder whether American democracy was now in danger from authoritarianism. Fans of political history will enjoy this highly documented recent history into one of the most important times in recent American history.

Throne of Glass

Maas, Sarah J. Throne of Glass. 2012. 406p. ISBN 978-1-59990-695-9. Available at FIC MAA on the library shelves. 

Life in the prison salt mines of Endovier is harsh, even for a skilled assassin like Celaena Sardothien. For the last year, she has grown progressively weaker as violence and death are daily companions. When she meets Dorian, the Crown Prince of Adarlan, Celaena learns that the King of Adarlan, who has already conquered much of the world, seeks to appoint a Champion. To select someone who will serve as his enforcer, the King is holding a competition in which nobles of Adarlan can enter their own candidate. The most skilled following a series of tests will serve the King, bringing riches to their sponsor.

Though a year as a prisoner and slave in the mines has weakened  Celaena, the Crown Prince has no doubt that she can win this competition. Her very presence back in Rifthold, the capital, is sure to irke his father, which is a bonus. Celaena will compete under an assumed name, as no one knows that this young girl is in fact the most skilled assassin the continent of Erilea has seen in ages. Given the choice between dying in Endovier or perhaps earning her freedom if she wins the competition and serves the King faithfully, Celaena accepts the Crown Prince's offer.

Once in Rifthold, however, Celaena realizes that the competition will be deadlier than she thought. Ancient magic seems to affect the area, while Champions are killed in gruesome and inexplicable ways between tests. With every day more dangerous than the next, Celaena will need to quickly regain her strength and hone her assassin skills if she hopes to survive long enough to become the King's own assassin ...